Graham Rahal Pits At Just The Right Time, Wins Home Race

Last year, many believed Graham Rahal's career wouldn't make it through 2015. He was in his seventh year of competition, hadn't won a race since his first year, and had burned through a series of high profile teams only to land back with his dad's team, a place he swore time and time again he didn't want to be racing. In 2013, he lost the sponsorship package he brought to Ganassi, in 2014 he lost the National Guard sponsor Rahal-Letterman got from Panther to replace it, and the Maxim/Steak 'n Shake deal that the team signed for 2015 would surely be a one-and-done if Rahal had another season as disappointing as, well, his last six. His career resurgence (Or, given the extent of his previous malaise, just surge) couldn't have come at a bigger time, and suddenly the one-time punchline is a championship contender with huge momentum.

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Though if not for one spin, he would still be nearly one race's worth of points behind Juan Pablo Montoya. Scott Dixon dominated the opening stint of the race from pole, but was caught out under the first race-deciding caution by drivers who had already pitted and fell to thirteenth. Justin Wilson then lead for a while, but after most drivers completed their second cycle of stops (A window stretching nearly twenty laps), series leader Montoya found himself up front. He looked prepared to cruise to another win on the season and extend his lead, but his Penske team made a crucial strategy mistake when they stayed with the strategy they had planned on instead of pitting at the very first available opportunity to make the race to the end on fuel.

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Dixon was the first to stop. A few more came as well, and when Sage Karam spun and stalled on the race surface, even more came in before the pit lane was closed. Graham Rahal was among the latter group, making it past the commitment line a second or two before the pit lane was closed, and he came out with the race lead for the restart. He held on through that and one more to win, and because Montoya had to pit under yellow, he finished ten positions ahead of his rival in the championship hunt.

Montoya still leads the championship with two races left, but he now leads by only nine points over Rahal, and just 30 over Dixon. With two races left and a double points race coming up, even Montoya's Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Will Power can't be counted out, 59 and 60 points out of the lead, respectively.

In his third of five consecutive races in a Honda R&D car run by Andretti Autosport, Justin Wilson finished a season-high second. Rounding out the podium is Simon Pagenaud, who recorded one of his better results in what has been a disappointing first season with Penske Racing. Heavy pre-race favorite Scott Dixon finished in fourth, while Montoya ended up in eleventh.

Takuma Sato was the race's lone retirement.

IndyCar has just two more races in their condensed 2015 season, and isn't in action again until their 500 mile race at Pocono on August 22nd.